The Rishis of all the Sat darshanas of India proclaimed their darshana wisdom to be the highest. So , from the Carvakas ( materialists) to the bhakts of Vishnu, and till the pragmatic Samkhyavadis and the mystic yogis, right upto the superb Atma jnana of Vedantins, everyone sincerely believed they have reached the ultimate.Eventually, Advaita Vedanta was generally accepted as the last word, the numero uno- number one.
Till the Kashmiri Rishi turned up with His vouchsafed revelation of Kashmir Shaiv Darsana. And here’s the genius: He upheld Advait vedanta as the third highest, and accorded second highest position to his own Darsana.
When asked what was the highest, he smiled and said Lord Shiva, of course. He always knows and gives the highest ever known wisdom till now, but the moment He gives us that Darsana, it becomes the second highest, leaving Him to think of the next .
It is simple said the Kashmiri Rishis; “Lord Shiva is always number one ”
(SHAIL GULHATI is a Jammu based Shaivite author)